Oh, hey, kinda forgot this existed. Honestly, now that I have two kids, my shortcomings as a mother are becoming more problematic. Not that I think I'm a bad mom or anything, but everyone has things they struggle with, and I'm trying to improve on mine. My girls deserve my best. One of my biggest problems is screen time. It's very, very easy for me to get sucked into the tv, laptop, or smart phone and not really do anything but that for quite a while. So I'm trying to limit my screen time, and be more present with my girls. I need to remember that these little years are fast, and far more interesting than anything facebook or pinterest have to offer. That being said, I am going to try and get here more often - Bridget is growing and changing every day and I want to remember it. Nory is developing into an amazing little girl, and I want to remember it. Ben and I are fairly stable at this point, but we still have things that are worth remembering.
Ben has finished graduate school and now has his Masters Degree. I couldn't be prouder of him, he worked so very hard for it. I finished my training and am now an affiliated Bradley Method instructor. I really enjoy teaching, and when my students tell me how thankful they are for TBM, and how positive their birth was because of it, I'm so happy I was a part of it.
Nory cracks us up every single day. She is so stinkin rotten, she absolutely knows her own mind, and she is going to be a very independent person very soon. She regularly surprises both of us with things that she has figured out how to do all by herself. She is becoming so creative - her imaginative play is just exploding. Despite all the toys she has right now, she is the happiest when she is just playing by herself, zooming across the galaxy or swimming at the beach or fighting away the monsters. Sometimes she invites us along, but usually, she's in her own world by herself and we just get to watch. She won't stop climbing, and I'm pretty sure we're going to have to get rid of all of our furniture to keep her on the ground. I'm amazed she hasn't broken an arm yet, with all the times I've found her on top of this dresser or that bookcase. I almost don't like stopping her from climbing, she loves it and I think it's so good for her. But she isn't climbing on safe things, so I have to. I think this spring we will be at the park far more often than before.
Bridget continues to be incredible. She is so happy. Her smile is contagious, not only for us, but even for complete strangers when we're out and about. She's a very active baby, but there's a nearly constant calmness to her. I think she just radiates contentedness almost all the time. I say almost, because she (like any baby) has her cranky times, especially with these teeth that are so.darn.close to coming through. They must hurt her, it's obvious when she's feeling really sad and just needs lots and lots of snuggles. Sadly, she apparently needs to be snuggled by a standing adult, we don't get to sit with her much and it's wearing us out. They are interrupting her (and our) sleep, so things are all over the place right now. She also has a big sister who loves her...LOVES HER...and sometimes it's hard to find a balance with that. We want the girls to play together, but Nory doesn't understand personal space, or how strong she is, or what isn't fun for Bridget. So Bridget gets layed on a lot, gets toys taken from her or forced on her a lot, and gets other toys shaken in her face but yanked away when she reaches for them. But even when she complains and we have to make Nory leave her, she still watches Nory and just smiles and smiles. I know that Nory will learn Bridget's boundaries soon, and then the girls' relationship will grow for a while...until Bridget gets more mobile and active and starts pushing on Nory's boundaries. Turn about is fair play!
I am loving watching my girls grow, both independently and together. I am loving being Mama...Mama of Nory, Mama of Bridget, and Mama of Nory and Bridget. There are days when I can almost physically feel how happy they make me. There are also days when I can almost physically feel how mad they make me, too, but I know that's a me problem, not a them problem, and I'm taking steps to make sure those days are fewer. I love my girls more than anything, and they need to know it. I think they do, but that doesn't mean I can stop trying!
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